I Hold the Heart of a Travelin' Soldier
by FMAlover555 i really like that
Summary: Roy Mustang is a new recruit heading off for war, with nothing and no one but the duffel on his back. That all changes when he stops in a diner before he is deployed. There he meets a girl Riza Hawkeye, and they promise to write to each other for company.
1. Chapter 1

** This story was inspired by the song Travelin' Soldier, and another one that I will find the name of… later.**

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The sun was warm on his cheeks, making them a rosy red as he walked into the small diner by the train station. The hostess was nice enough, but way too giggly to be of any sort of interest. He chose a seat by the window, one that overlooked all the passengers boarding the trains.

"Hi, I'm Riza and I'll be your waitress today. Can i get you anything to drink?" a young woman asked. She had short-cropped blonde hair, with wine colored eyes that shone brightly.

"I'll have coffee, and could I ask you for a favor?" the man asked, giving her a small smile. He decided he liked the sound of her voice, calm and melodic. He could easily get used to it.

The girl seemed confused.

"I suppose?"

"Could you just sit with me for a while? I need to see just one more friendly face before I head off." his eyes pleaded with her in such a way, she couldn't say no.

"I don't see why not. Let me get your drink then I'll take my break." and with that she went behind the small counter and returned with a mug of steaming coffee.  
She placed the mug down gently in front of him, before sitting down across the table.

"May I ask to whom I owe this pleasure?" she asked politely.

"Roy Mustang. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry if I interrupted your day, it's just I needed to see one more kind face. I'm feeling kinda down."

"Oh, it's quite alright. I'm Riza Hawkeye. May I ask where you're off to?" she asks kindly.

"War," was all Roy says, staring into the dark depths of his mug. Riza's eyes widened.

"A s-soldier?" she asked.

"Yeah, a soldier."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two! Chapter two! Hoorah!**

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"A s-soldier?"

"Yeah, a soldier."

His camo pants swooshed together as he nervously bounced his legs beneath the table. Riza nervously chewed at her lower lip, and his eyes were drawn to the pink flesh caught between her teeth.

"Are you leaving anyone behind?" she asked, meeting his eyes for a second.

"I don't have any family. I'm the last living Mustang." He paused. "Wow. I'm the only one left and I'm heading off to war to probably get myself killed." He gave a humorless laugh.

Her eyes widened as Roy said the last sentence. On instinct one of her hands shot out and grasped his. Roy jumped at the sudden contact, but didn't remove his hand.

"Promise me." She demanded.

"Excuse me?" he asked, bemused

"Promise me you won't get on that train just to die. Promise me that you will come back because now you have someone that's being left behind. So you have to promise me that you will come back, okay?"

Riza stared into the depths of his onyx eyes, communicating without words.

"I promise."

They smiled at each other, enjoying the contact. She smiled a little wider and squeezed his hand.

"Good. I'd be mad if you didn't"

They talked some more, until the final whistle blew.

"That's my last call. Can I write to you? It would make me feel better if I knew there was someone back home," Roy asked hesitantly. He had a hopeful look in his eyes, praying she'd say yes.

"Of course. Here," Riza said taking a pen from her pocket. She wrote her address on his hand and then pulled him down. She quickly hugged him then kissed his cheek. They blushed a bit at the sudden event.

"Final call for the train to Ishval!" the conductor yelled.

Roy ran to the train starting to leave the station, swinging his duffel over his shoulder. Riza followed after him and gave him a final goodbye before he hopped on the moving train.

"I'll come home, I promise!" he yelled out to her, hanging from the metal bar on the train.

"I'll be waiting, Soldier! Don't forget to write!" she yelled.

"How could I?"

Those were his last words before he disappeared from sight, leaving Riza with a sad smile on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

** Chapter three! Chapter three!**

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_ Dear Riza,_

_ It's me- you know that guy from the diner? I promised I would write, so… here I am writing I guess. It's hot, and dry and I hate sand now. I just got here and they already shipped me out to the front lines. I start my first assignment tomorrow. _

_ How's life at home? Is that crazy sweets lady still running around offering candy to little kids? Are you going to start any kind of schooling soon? What about little Sally Parker, the little girl who sells lemonade on the side of Main Street? Is she still there?_

_ I've met some pretty good guys on the way here. There's this one guy named Jean Havoc. He's blonde and cocky, but one hell of a storyteller. Then there's Maes Hughes. This guy is crazy beyond control, but he's one of the best men I've ever met. He always whips out pictures of his girlfriend back home and it drives me nuts! I'm happy for him though. Not many people have that, you know?_

_ Oh well, I better go. Havoc is telling me to stop scribbling and have a little fun- like we're here for fun. I hope you're life at home is going great. Write back, okay?_

_-Roy_


	4. Chapter 4

_Dear Roy,_

_ Hi, how's it going over there? It's fine over here, I suppose. I mean, I got friends and everything and we're hanging out, but I just don't feel connected, you know? I feel so separated from them. I'm worrying and everyone's like "Calm down! Stop worrying!" but I can't- not really. I just want to see you're face again, and see you smile and make sure there's not a single scratch on your body. Silly, right? I feel foolish, constantly worrying. No one really get's how it is, having a soldier. _

_ Sally's still going strong, selling that lemonade. I bought a cup from her, saying it's from you while you're away. She was really happy, and she even gave me a second cup for free, but I paid for it anyway and slipped a dollar when she was talking to her parents. Her mother thanked me, though I was only doing the right thing. She asked how you were doing, and I told her you were fine. She told me to keep strong, so I want to tell you the same. Keep strong, okay? We can be strong together._

_ I'm not going off to school, I don't think. There's just not much out there for me. I'm still working at the diner, but now I'm also working part time as an instructor at a shooting range. It's lots of fun, but the still targets are getting a little boring. I think I'm going to try the disk thing, you know what hunters do to practice shooting ducks? It's supposed to be very challenging._

_ Stay safe; stay strong, and I'll miss you. That day in the diner is probably the best day I've ever had. Thank you. Hey, how about we start asking some questions? What's your favorite childhood memory?_

_ I'll be waiting,_

_ Riza_


	5. Chapter 5

_ Dear Riza,_

_ The way you feel isn't stupid. Hell, if I could hop on a train right now and assure myself everything is going well for you, I would. This place is pure hell._

_I… I killed someone. I feel dirty, and wrong, and I can't get their eyes out of my head. It's like they were quietly looking into my soul and seeing things that were… horrible. Like they knew I had someone who would have missed me if I were gone, but I was so heartless as to kill them when they had someone too. I couldn't look anyone in the eyes after. I-I hope you can still… I don't know… talk to me. Write letters- smile and worry like you do. Worry about a murderer. And I know it won't be my first, and that's the worst part._

_I suppose I should answer your question. My best childhood memory is when my family was still alive. I had a little sister, and a baby brother, too. I was babysitting and I think it was the last time we were all together. Timmy was screeching something about pancakes, and Sheena was going off about how she could make them. She kept saying, "I can do it! I can do it!" Timmy was only two, and Sheena was like, five. I was only nine, so me and my infinite wisdom let her do it. Mom came home to pancake batter and other forms of cooking materials all over the kitchen and was so bewildered she couldn't speak. Then Sheena said, "Don't worry Mommy, I already spanked us for you!" with a completely straight face. Mom laughed so hard that she could barely stand. We then spent the night baking things like cake and pie and pancakes of course. Then, Dad came home and we sat all around the fireplace while Mom and Dad sang songs to us in our native language. The next day the accident happened, and that was the last time we were all together at home, and not at the hospital or graveyard. _

_It's my turn to ask a question now. Who was your best friend when you were little? I'm missing you so much right now._

_Thinking of you,_

_Roy_

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**Those names are actual children that I have known or been related to that have died at a young age. Timmy was four and Sheena was an infant. Actually, the girl didn't even have a name when she died, so I just named her after the mother. I just thought I should have a little contribution to them, you know? The next chapter's coming soon, ok?**


	6. Chapter 6

_ Dear Roy,_

_ I'm not one to believe in God, but if there is one up there, I don't think they'd send you to Hell for this. And if they do, I'll follow you. I don't care if I'm a saint until the day I die, if they send you to Hell for fighting a war you don't want to fight, I will follow- no questions asked. Before you get upset at the thought of me following you there, think of this- who wants to be in Heaven alone? I'd rather be in Hell with you, than in Heaven without you._

_ I loved that childhood memory. I don't think any memory I have could live up to one so sweet. I had a family once too, but I was an only child. I wish I could have met them. _

_ When I was young I didn't have any friends. No one wanted to be friends with the weird girl in that creepy mansion on that abandoned road. I had the maid, though. She was only sixteen when I was around seven, and she stayed with me until I was sixteen myself. We were so close, and she was like a mother to me. My own mother died when I was only three, and my father wasn't the type to talk much. Actually, I'm almost positive he didn't give a single damn about me. He blamed me for her death. She got sick after she birthed me, and never got better. I'm lucky he kept me in the house. But Nenny, the maid, was the kindest woman I've ever met. She would play with me and sing me songs in her rough language, and eventually she taught me how to speak it myself. It's such a sweet and rough language. Whenever I speak it, it makes me feel like she's next to me again right before bed, or in the market and she's telling me not to listen to the mean shopkeepers and children, and I'm telling her about my day and no one understood us. That was the best part of my childhood- Nenny. She got sick when I was ten, and whenever I asked what was wrong, she would say, "Nothing baby, Nenny's just feeling sick today." I believed her for quite some time, until I was thirteen and I realized she's never gotten better. It was then that she taught me how to shoot a gun. She always had one with her, no matter what. When I asked she would say it was for protection. That's how much people hated us. We had to carry a gun around to protect ourselves. I got so good at it that she gave me my own gun. Eventually she got so sick she couldn't get out of bed anymore, and it was time I learned how to fend for myself. I did everything alone without help and took care of Nenny. When I turned sixteen, she died. Right before she did, she gave me her gun. It was a family heirloom that has been passed down for many years, and she told me that I was the child she never had the chance to have. I still have it, and I always carry it around, just like she did. I'll show it to you one day. It's truly beautiful. Not long after that my father died and I was forced into the real world. But it's sad to say I miss Nenny more than I miss my father._

_ What was the hardest thing you've ever done? I'm missing you so much right now. Will you send me a picture? I want to see you're okay. _

_ Missing you,_

_ Riza_


	7. Chapter 7

_ Dear Riza,_

_ I don't want to believe in Heaven. I tell myself I don't. It's not because I don want others to be in 'paradise', but because if I believe in Heaven, I have to believe in Hell too. And don't get me wrong, it's not because I believe I'm going to Hell and I don't want to 'burn', but now I know if I go, you go too. I don't want to subject you to that. You deserve so much more than Hell. You're meant to dine with the angels, or become an angel yourself. So, for that sole reason alone, I do not believe in things like Heaven. _

_ I don't think your father is worth missing. It may sound rude or improper, but Nenny is the one who raised you and took care of you when no one else did, and at such a young age, too. What did he ever do for you? Nothing. Nenny made you who you are today- this wonderful, beautiful person with an amazing personality. _

_ I've had to do many hard things in my life. I mean my whole family died when I was nine. I'm a broken soul, a kid from a messed up childhood. So many things were so hard, but the hardest thing I ever did was move on. I wanted so bad to just shut down, never see the world again and close my eyes. I wanted to live in the past and die with them all. Never again would I hear my mother's soft voice, or my father's deep and rough one. The house didn't fill with laughter or happiness when I got home; it was just cold and empty. But I stood up and used my own two feet to move forward, though it sometimes felt like my legs were numb. I smiled for everyone, I never cried, I acted like nothing was wrong. What a load of that. I was never truly smiling, my chest hurt when I saw people laughing in the park with their children, or when people on the street would talk with family- my life was a mess. To make myself forget, I traveled and buried myself in my studies, learning about chemistry and other advanced studies. I was a 'prodigy'. I never felt like it. I saw the world, or at least a small portion of it. I was dying from the inside out, and when I was sixteen I figured, hey, why not die with courage and nobility? So I joined the military. I trained for two years then they sent me out to war, and this is where I am now. I had never truly smiled until you came and started sending me letters. Now when I get them, I truly smile with all my heart. Thank you, for helping me smile. I can say the hardest thing I've ever done is get up each morning and remember the past, but now I think I have a good future to look to. I don't think I'll ever be so sad again. Thank you for being my light._

_ What scares you the most? I want to see you so bad right now. There's a picture in the envelope, just like you asked. The man with the rifle is Havoc and the man with the glasses and wad of letters in Hughes. We took it when we got mail this morning. _

_ Write soon,_

_ Roy_


	8. Chapter 8

_ Dear Roy,_

_ I don't want you to go someplace like that. And I don't want the angels, or the white wings if I really have to give you up for it. You're my life now. _

_ I can never know what it's like to lose an entire family at such a young age. And I hope you never feel that way ever again. I don't care if I have to go to the ends of the earth to make sure. With what you're going through now, you deserve to never feel sadness like that ever again. _

_ Havoc is the blonde one, yes? He looks so… downcast. He's smiling in the picture but his eyes are dark even with the light blue color. Hughes looks so happy and upbeat, but he looks so guarded, like he's putting up an act for everyone else. And you. You are so run-down. So tired and worn out. Your face is just as handsome as when I first met you, but now your features are sad. When you come home, I will make your face happy, even if it's the last thing I do. I love how you keep going though, and you see everything through to the end. It's admirable. _

_ I used to be scared of being alone, and then I was scared of losing the one closest to me. And I did. I lost her, so it was a fear I lived and put behind me. But now- now I'm scared of losing the person that keeps me going. You. I'm scared of you coming home in a casket, with nothing but your dog tags and letters to remember you by. The sound of your voice is a distant memory, and I want so bad to hear it again. I want to see your smile in person and feel you beside me. I've always felt like this, but now the fear is more intense, and it's a constant throb. It won't go away until I see you, so I will count the days until you're here. That is what I fear the most. That the next time I see you it will be in the afterlife, whatever happens to us when we die. I would most likely follow, maybe sooner rather than later- but I won't think about that, so neither will you. You're going to come home, healthy and well and we'll be happy and spend everyday together to make up for all the time lost._

_ I don't think I'm beautiful or amazing. I think I'm the most flawed person I know, so I don't think I'm all that great. I look up to you a bit. What will be the first thing you do when you come home? I can't wait to see you again. _

_ Be safe- I miss you, _

_ Riza_


	9. Chapter 9

The desert sand whipped around Roy's tent like a violent storm. He emerged rough and rugged, like he had dived in broken glass. He was due to the General's tent, and he was worried about what they wanted.

Would they prolong his stay?

Would they move him even further into the city?

He didn't know, but he was more determined than ever to survive now. He had something - someone – to live for.

Roy entered the General's tent stiffly, walking like a toy soldier. Every general in Ishval was lined up behind a wooden table, looking at him intently. Roy's eyes widened slightly. If all the generals were here, something very important was going to happen. He saluted and stood at attention until they waved him off.

"Major Mustang," General Grand acknowledged.

"Sir!"

"You have done well. So well us generals have decided that there is no more use of you here. The war is slowing- ending. You have done your part, and so we shall reward you." He continued.

"Sir?" Roy asked.

"What Grand is saying is that we will reward you by promoting you to a Lieutenant Colonel, and giving you the title Hero of Ishval." General Hakuro elaborated coldly.

Roy was slowly starting to feel like he was sick. Hero? He was no hero. He was a cold-blooded murderer. A monster.

"Also," General Grumman interjected. "You will go on one final mission, then you're free to go."

"E-excuse me?" Roy stumbled. He couldn't believe his own ears. Where they saying what he thought they were saying?

General Grumman chuckled a bit.

"Congratulations, Lieutenant Colonel. You're going home."


	10. Chapter 10

Riza awoke slowly. The days have dragged by as slow as molasses, the nights as quick as a fox. She couldn't wait for his return.

She got the letter yesterday, and she couldn't believe her eyes. _He was coming home_. Those months of sitting around waiting to finally see his face again were over.

Her neighbors often asked who was sending her those letters that made her face light up, those letters that made her look like a child on their favorite holiday, but the letters also made her frown a bit. She would always reply, "A very close friend."

But they could see it. They could see how she tore the envelopes open and frantically read it like the words on the paper determined her fate. Each and every one of them saw how her face fell when the letter was over and she would have a nostalgic frown on her lips, wishing to go back in time. She would read it again and stroke the paper that sometimes looked burned around the edges, and some could see dirt and sand smeared on the back.

She had laughed when she received the last letter, right out in front of her house. She had laughed and shook with happiness- so much that one old woman across the street from her couldn't take it anymore. She was so curious about what could make this stoic girl jump for joy. The elderly woman had hobbled over to Riza's house and tapped her shoulder.

"Excuse me, Miss?" the aged woman asked. "I don't mean to be rude, but I was wondering what could make you so happy. I apologize if I'm intruding."

Uncharacteristically, Riza just smiled. She laughed a little more, and then answered the woman.

"He's coming home!" she enunciated. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks, and she wiped them away with a single finger. "Roy is coming home! After all this time, they told him he could come home!"

She laughed again. Riza held the letter protectively against her chest and grinned.

The woman across from her smiled at the young girl, no more than seventeen, laughing and smiling- just because some boy was coming home.

"Where is he coming from?" the woman asked, trying to get as much information as possible on the man that made this cold girl shine like the summer's sun.

Riza then looked a bit sad, as if remembering a bad memory.

"Ishval," she said, but then she perked up again. "My soldier is coming home!"


	11. Chapter 11

**You guys might want to hate me after this chapter, but hopefully as the story goes on you guys won't hate me so much anymore.**

The train station in Central City was bustling with people. There were soldiers getting off trains, women and children crying tears of joy and happiness and men patting the army men welcomingly on the back. It was a happy atmosphere.

Riza ran through the crowds. She could barely contain herself as she animatedly searched the crowds. She was going to see him! Finally they could actually be around each other, not miles and miles away. She saw blonde men, brown-haired men, short men, tall men, injured men, but not the man she was looking for. Then she came across a familiar face.

"Havoc!" she yelled over the roar of the crowd.

The blonde man turned. He had a cigarette hanging from his lips and a lazy smile on. The smile fell when he saw her.

"Who're you?" he asked.

"Have you seen Roy?" she asked, ignoring his question.

It was then that Havoc realized who this woman was. _Her_. The girl Roy had always kept a secret, but once they found out about her, he wouldn't stop talking about her. She fit his description to a T.

She wasn't tall or short but somewhere in-between, with corn silk hair and wine eyes. Her smile was radiant and her posture confident and tall.

Jean Havoc had to turn away. He couldn't face her, not with the burden he held. He walked away without so much as a glance back, his eyes lowered to the ground.

Riza was about to chase after him, but she then saw another familiar face.

"Hughes!" she called, running up to him and a woman with light chestnut hair.

He turned and looked at her. She almost stopped running at the sadness in his eyes.

"Have you seen Roy?" she breathed, winded from the run.

Hughes's eyes went to the floor. He knew who she was, and he didn't want to be the one to tell her. He didn't want to crush the happiness she had, but he had no choice.

"Roy Mustang is Missing In Action, lost on his final mission in Ishval. Presumed dead."

For the first time ever, Riza Hawkeye fainted.


	12. Chapter 12

Riza awoke with a start. She was in a room with warm beige walls and a nice brown oak wood floor. She looked around, trying to pinpoint exactly where she was, but then something else hit her.

_Presumed Dead._

She buried her head in her hands and shook it side to side, as if to rattle the memory away. It can't be. He was supposed to be there, they were supposed to hug and be happy and talk about the things they didn't get to talk about in those letters. He wasn't supposed to _die_. Roy promised!

There was the patter of light footsteps on the floor, but Riza didn't look up. There were two people, but one sat down while the other stayed standing.

"How are you feeling?" a gentle voice asked. A hand was placed on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. She shook it off. She didn't want anyone but Roy to touch her.

"He promised." Riza forced out of her dry throat, head still in her hands. "He swore to me."

"Who, honey? What did he promise?"

There was a tense silence that stretched out between the occupants of the small, small room in the cramped apartment not far from the station where she collapsed, no more than three hours ago.

"Roy. He promised me he wouldn't die!" she wailed.

The two figures in the room looked at each other sadly. They had no clue how she felt, the fear or the grief.

"I told him I'd follow him to Hell and back! I'd give up anything for that _stupid, stupid_ man! What do I have to live for n-now?"

Riza looked up finally and saw Maes and the brown haired girl from the train station. They were exchanging very worried looks and each glance at her was filled with pity.

"Honey, the pain will never go away, but you will learn to work with it. Treasure the people you have with you now. Family and friends. That's what they're there for."

Riza gave a bitter laugh, and tears ran down her cheeks and pooled at the edges of her pink lips. _Other people to live for_? Yeah, right- who? Him, and he's gone.

"Who? I have no family. I have little to no friends, and the ones I do have, I don't even like that much. Roy was whom I was living for. He was the reason I got up everyday. _Without him I am just dirt on the side of the road!_"


	13. Chapter 13

_Damn I hate sand._ That was his only thought at the moment. It was painfully cold in the barren night of the Ishval Desert. His limbs felt like lead, each step getting heavier and harder until eventually, he knew he wouldn't be able to continue.

He had narrowly escaped with his life- torn clothes hung on his body, and his wounds were being filled with sand. He wouldn't quit though. He had to keep moving, he had to move forward. _For her._

He would make it home just for her and her wine eyes, even if he died on the front steps once he got there. He vowed to survive, and goddammit he was going to.

The miles and miles of desert passed him by, day by day, and soon it was a week. He only slept minutes at a time before moving forward more. On the seventh day, he made it to a small town in the neighboring territory of Amestris, just outside of Ishval. He heard a woman scream.

"Please," his voice scratched out. "Please take me home. I need to get to Central City."

He passed out right there in the street of that small town, with peonies growing in the gardens with children playing. Not before they got his name.

"Roy Mustang."

After all, a promise was a promise.


	14. Chapter 14

The chime of the phone rang through the small apartment as they were preparing for dinner. It had been four months of pure darkness. Riza rarely smiled or laughed now, and her eyes turned the color of old wine, unlike the old rich color and warmth. She locked away all emotion, a passionless look persistently placed roughly on her face.

At night- at night her mask slipped away. Her eyes filled with sorrow so heartbreaking, the brightest flowers wilted. Maes and the woman with him- she soon learned her name was Gracia- could hear her weeping at night, but they pretended not to. They had learned soon after they met to never confront her about her emotions. Riza had soon started staying with them as they realized she should be watched carefully. They knew of her strange dedication to Him.

Maes rose from the table and picked up the phone. He listened for a long time, his eyes widening at first, then a look of disbelief and caution, until finally a slow smile spread across his face. He left the room, the receiver still pressed firmly to his ear. Gracia and Riza could hear the low murmur of his voice emanating from the bedroom.

He returned almost a whole hour later, the remains of dinner being quickly placed away. He received a questioning look from his lover, but ignored it. Instead he addressed Riza, a massive smile on his face. She stared at him with a dead look until he spoke. Then her eyes swam with confusion. What was he planning?

"Pack your bags, Riza. We're going on a trip."


	15. Chapter 15

The train was noisy. There were screaming children, people talking so loud, Riza could swear that she would be able to hear them in Drachma, and talking couples. That was what bothered her the most. The couples.

She had never really wanted or liked that mushy, sweet feel of being in a relationship, but now it was completely different. Riza hadn't known the depth of her feelings and relationship with Roy, until she realized they wouldn't interact ever again. She still doesn't want that sticky sweet feel, but she now wants someone to be there and care for her- love her.

It was sickening, watching those young lovers interact, knowing that probably, a majority of them won't make it through the year. She and Roy had made it through almost a _year and a half_ through only _letters_. But they weren't in an official relationship, just building up feelings. Those people will probably go through at least two more people before they settle down, and Riza envied them. They want to move forward- no – they _can_ move forward, while the thought of marrying is now sickening to Riza when it isn't that damn black-haired man.

Before, she probably wouldn't have even considered it, but then, she found out Maes was going to propose to Gracia. It got her thinking. What if Roy had come home? Would they have been friends, lovers, _married_? Would _he_ be searching through jewelry shops, looking for the_ perfect_ ring?

Riza propped her head on the window. Now she was just depressing herself. She shouldn't want something like that, _especially_ from a soldier in a diner. But she does, and she doesn't want to want that, but she _does_.

Then, for the thousandth time since last night, she wondered where the hell Maes was taking her. He said pack for warm weather, and then wouldn't let a single piece of information slip through his lips. Riza wanted to knock it out of him, but saw how happy he was and let it slide. She saw him whispering to Gracia, and even _she_ looked ecstatic.

_What the hell are they planning?_


	16. Chapter 16

The train platform was small, but the town itself was kind and appealing. When Maes had told Riza it was time to get off, the train was at the Resembool Train Station, a town in the east at the edge of Ishval. The town had very few residents, but it had a comfortable feel to it that Riza enjoyed.

"Where are we going now?" she asked.

Gracia just smiled and picked up the luggage, while Maes completely ignored the question and started walking up the wide dirt road behind the station.

Riza grew flustered. She hated surprises, and the anticipation was building up as high as a mountain. Reluctantly, she started to follow the two people she could now call friends.

They walked for a good mile and a half before they came to a house with a sign that said, "Rockbell Automail". Riza had heard of automail but had never really looked into the art. Guns were her forte, not mechanical apendages. She wondered why they were visiting an automail shop.

As they climbed the porch, a young girl about four years old opened the door. An old woman was behind her, and she wasn't much taller than the young girl.

"Rockbell Automail, what do you need?" the little girl asked in a high melodic voice.

Maes beamed and bent down to whisper something to the pair. Riza couldn't hear what he said, but they must have known who he was, for they smiled and stepped aside, letting the three in.

"I'm Winry!" the little girl declared with a large smile, skipping over to Riza. Maes, Gracia and the old woman had gone into the kitchen, leaving the two in the main hall.

Riza smiled and bent down to the girl's level.

"Why hello there. My name is Riza." She said kindly, but her tone had a hint of melancholy to it. It has for quite some time, though she tried her best to hide it.

Winry frowned.

"Why are you so sad?" she inquired.

Riza looked startled, but quickly regained her composure.

"I lost someone very, very important to me, and I miss him tremendously."

"Where'd he go?" the little girl asked.

Riza smiled sadly, knowing the girl wouldn't understand the concept of death.

"He went to Ishval, but he never came back." She explained.

"Oooh!" Winry said. "My mommy and daddy went to Ishval, too! But they didn't come back either. I don't like soldiers anymore, but there's this super nice one I met!"

Winry looked sad for a long moment, but then looked back up at Riza brightly. Riza looked even sadder as she realized this little girl must be going through a very tough time.

"What does he look like?" she asked.

Riza sighed, but dug into her coat pocket and pulled out a worn out photo. She unfolded it to reveal three men in the desert. There were creases worn into the paper and the edges were starting to fold. She pointed at the man in the middle with ebony hair and charcoal eyes.

"This," she stated, "Is my brave soldier."

Winry gently took the picture from Riza and held it lightly in her palm. She seemed to understand the importance of the paper she held becase she was very careful not to bend or rip it. She studied the man for a few moments until her eyes lit up. She knew this man, but she wouldn't say anything. Granny had said to keep it a secret.

"I'll be right back. I wanna show Granny!" Winry cheered and ran from the room, not waiting for an answer.

Riza sighed but smiled slightly at the girl's enthusiasm. Winry seemed like a kind child with a good soul.

When Winry returned, she gave Riza her picture but then started to drag her to some room by her hand.

"We have a surprise for you!" Winry giggled as she pulled Riza to a stop infront of a door labeled, "Infermary". Riza was confused, but Maes and Gracia were soon behind her, urging her forward.

The door swung open, and Riza cried.


	17. Chapter 17

At first, Riza couldn't believe her eyes. He was there, right in front of her, laying in the hospital bed. His eyes were tired, and he had bandages wrapped around his torso and head, but it was him- all the way down to the smirk.

Winry bounced up and down, giggling.

"That's him, right? The soldier you showed me in the picture! When we found him he had lots of boo-boos, but that's him alright!" she cheered.

"I'm glad to finally see you. I've been stuck here for months and I could only get one phone call through in this godforsaken town." He smirked.

Riza just stood there for a moment, tears pooling in her eyes until she spoke. Screamed was more like it.

"You IDIOT! I thought you were DEAD! You-" and then she let loose a stream of profanity so strong, Pinako had to cover Winry's ears. Riza ran over to him and pulled him into a hug.

"I am so, so, so, so, so glad you're okay," she whispered into his hair. Roy then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. They stayed braced in each other's arms, touching for the first time since she held his hand in the diner.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to see you," he breathed into her shoulder. "I've missed you so much."

Riza's tears fell into his hair, trickling down the side of his face. He caught one on the tip of his finger.

"Hey, now why are you crying? I hate seeing you cry."

She moved her head to look him in the eyes. How did she feel about him? She didn't know, but she did know that she could easily be the happiest person on this entire planet. Maybe it was love. At the moment, she didn't care. She went to say something, but Maes interrupted.

"Hey guys, sorry for interrupting this little love fest, but Roy, you don't have a penny to your name. Are you going to stay in the military, or do something else? There's a lot you have to do, and you need to make some big choices," he said, having one of his rare serious moments. The adults in the room nodded, agreeing with the man. Roy looked to Riza.

"Will you follow me?"

"If you wish, even into Hell."


	18. Chapter 18

**Read This:**

Hey guys. I've gotten some requests to update this story, but I'm kind of low on ideas. I know everybody hates these kinds of updates, but it's necessary. Do you guys want more chapters, or is it okay if I cut it off here?


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